I love soup. It doesn't matter what kind of soup. I'll drink a cup of chicken broth--just because I think it is delicious. No matter what you call it: stew, soup, chili, bisque. Just give me a spoon.
Here is my elastic soup equation and a recipe for the Beans, Greens and Sausage Soup I made last night:
Beans, Pasta or Rice: I used one cup of dried beans that I cooked overnight in the slow cooker. 35 cents
Something Meaty: I used 1/4 pound sausage and 1/3 package of Boca meatless crumbles. $1.75
Something Veggie: I used a 10 oz package of frozen spinach. I would have added some sauteed onion or other veg but Husband doesn't like onion and I didn't have any other veg I thought would work. 99 cents
Something Soupy: I used about 4-5 cups of chicken broth (one can and the rest homemade). 50 cents
Something Spicy: I used garlic powder, onion powder, Tabasco, Worcestershire, a tiny bit of Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Pepper and a tiny bit of sugar. I'm guessing about 20 cents.
Cook what needs to be cooked and let it all simmer together.
Total: My soup made 8 cups. 47 cents for a cup.
There is nothin' like a steaming bowl of soup for lunch or dinner on a cold winter day and, believe me, we've had plenty of those lately.
And (bonus) there's nothin' like some hot oatmeal for breakfast. I used to think the only way that oatmeal was edible was those Quaker instant oatmeal packages. Apples and cinnamon was my favorite. But (very recently) I've grown up and appreciate the control you have over your own breakfast oatmeal with just a box (or bag) of your favorite oats and whatever junk you have in your house to dress them up.
My favorite combination of oatmeal is 1/2 banana and 1-2 spoons of peanut butter. Because I'm always running late in the morning, I mix up all the ingredients and put them in a microwave container with a tight-fitting lid. The first thing I do when I get to work is cook up some breakfast.
Here are all the things in my house that I would combine or use to make my own special flavors of oatmeal. In my freezer: bananas, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, nuts, powdered milk. In my fridge: apple butter, butter, milk, coffee mate, flax seed, wheat germ, apple cider, orange marmalade, applesauce, orange juice, grape jelly, chocolate icing. In my pantry: peanut butter, honey, pancake syrup, rice syrup, sugar, brown sugar, hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, sweetened flaked coconuts, dried cranberries. In the spice rack: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
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Breakfast: oatmeal, banana, peanut butter 21 cents
Lunch: Beans, greens & sausage soup 47 cents
Snack: Orange and chips 42 cents
Dinner: My dinner out for the week-McDonald's Dollar Menu $3.24
Total: $4.34
I think you're the one who introduced me to the world of plain oatmeal. Mmm, cheap and less sugar than the packaged stuff. (I can't eat it plain though...my favorite is with some PB.)
ReplyDeleteI have a really good lentil veggie soup recipe for the crock pot. Let me know if you want it.
I forgot to mention that I added the can of chicken broth because it was in my cupboard (which Husband always used to think was pronounced cup-board...seriously, I can't make this up). AND because I tasted it with just the homemade broth and thought, "Hmm, I think this needs some MSG." I don't even know what MSG tastes like, really--but it's part of the flavor of cheap canned broth. So I dumped a can in and then I checked the ingredient list...sure enough Monosodium Glutamate was on the list.
ReplyDeleteLentil veggie soup sounds great! I'll take that recipe, please, Jen.